Exploring Altered Realities:<br />Behind eLUMINA 3.14
"During the exploration I found a "magic formula" and the multipixelular organisms were born". Interview with artist - dither experimenter Cap'n.
Cap'n is a low-res experimental dither artist hailing from the tropics who draws inspiration from altered states of the mind. Through his art, he delves into the visual aspect of his internal dialogue, venturing into a realm teeming with elements of science fiction, nature, nostalgia, psychedelic, and human consciousness.
Cap'n's artwork, eLUMINA 3.14, is described as 'The Memory Viewer operates seamlessly within the Astral Dashboard, providing a user-friendly interface for navigating the vast expanse of memories encoded in the cosmic data cloud.' This mesmerizing piece was featured at the Digital Nostalgia Auction and the ACCOMPART'S virtual gallery."
Your artistic journey involves delving into altered states of the mind. How do these altered states influence and shape your creative process?
A/ Well… one might think that this means going all crazy and being super high on substances, but this is pretty simple, basically to explore my emotions and meditate on them, trying to find simple things in complex thoughts and emotions and explore the nature of my ideas, some come while doing IRL tasks, some need to be thought and processed for several days. That's why I like to explore the low-resolution realm. Working with the minimum makes it quite an adventure, like life… you never know what will happen, even when you think you have it all.
In eLUMINA 3.14, you describe the Memory Viewer within the Astral Dashboard. Can you share the inspiration behind this concept and how it relates to your exploration of memories in the cosmic data cloud?
A/ The concept for eLUMINA 3.14 comes from the idea of the operating system which was used to program our human consciousness, by the so-called creator. The cosmic data cloud would be the term used by the programmer to where our thoughts are stored, like a human-cloud service, managed by the divine.
Your art encompasses elements of science fiction, nature, nostalgia, psychedelic experiences, and human consciousness. How do you strike a balance between these diverse influences, and what message or emotion do you aim to convey through this amalgamation?
A/ They just come naturally, I picture something in my head or sometimes I dream about it, and that feeling that remains is what I try to portray in art, sometimes it takes days, and sometimes it takes 15 minutes.
Being a low-res experimental dither artist, what draws you to this particular form of artistic expression, and how does it contribute to the overall atmosphere of your creations?
A/ I grew up playing Super Nintendo, and PS1 games, mostly JRPGs such as Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy series, Breath of Fire, etc. This made me love pixel art forever, but when turning into this craft I didn’t want to create video game art, I wanted my ideas to carry the same feeling but to look like futuristic art from the past, a pure nostalgic feeling dug from my childhood.
What opportunities and challenges do you encounter in the NFT space?
A/ This space changed my life for good, I’ve always been into some sort of artistic expression, I’ve been a rock bass player for more than a decade and have been delving into these ideas for many years, only for the pandemic to hit and then discover the NFT space to fuel and give a meaningful purpose to what I deliver, never before I thought that making a GIF would make me connect with the incredible people I’ve met in these last 3 years.
The Pixcells collection involves multipixelular organisms. What inspired this collection, and how do you envision these pixelated life forms within the context of your artistic universe?
A/ When I first created the Plantz project I was experimenting a lot, learning different ways to make pixels move. During the exploration I found a "magic formula" and the multipixelular organisms were born, it was pretty obvious from the very first one, little did I know I would end up making 250 of those. Inside my lore, these are basically what gives life to all the living beings of my creations, which are deeply in tune with nature, something I truly admire and respect.
What specific event, collection, artist, or object has been a profound inspiration for your creativity, and how has it influenced your artistic journey?
A/ The whole community inspires me, this is more than creating art or making some profit, which is what everyone came here for, let’s be real. But from the core, the connection you can make with someone you have never met face to face or even heard their voice…. and just by expressing yourself you can connect and inspire others it's enough to fuel the desire to explore my creativity and learn new skills as everyone is doing.
What's next for you? Are there upcoming projects, themes, or experiments you're excited to explore in your artistic journey?
A/ Yes, lots of projects and experiments in mind… the only problem is little time in hand! But it will all come together, as it always does. For now, just focus on the little things that can make a change to make it all fit.
Interviewer — YNKAdigital
X @xicojam
ACCOMPART'S© — Computer Art Auction House ©
